REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 26, 1997 — In September 1998, all new students at the University of Iowa in Iowa City will get a personal campus tour from political science professor Bob Boynton. Boynton won’t actually meet all 3,000-plus new students. His “virtual” self will drive an animated bus, lead them to online answers to their questions and help them feel more comfortable in their new surroundings and with the university’s electronic community. Boynton’s virtual CD-ROM tour, Online at Iowa, earned him the grand prize in Microsoft Corp.’s 1997 Innovators in Higher Education Challenge.

Today Microsoft announced that Boynton and 21 other college and university faculty members, staff and teaching assistants are national challenge winners. Microsoft is honoring these winners for developing outstanding original projects, courses or programs using Microsoft® Internet Information Server, the Windows NT® Server network operating system, Microsoft Office, the FrontPage® Web site creation and management tool, the NetShow &Ocirc; server or NetMeeting &Ocirc; conferencing software. A panel of college students selected the winners from more than 100 entries. Judges rated projects on innovation, usability and scalability across platforms, appropriateness to theme, clarity, grammar and writing style.

“I have to try hard not to sound like I’m giving a lecture,” Boynton chuckled, describing the narration he is creating for the CD-ROM designed with Microsoft FrontPage. “Seriously, I’m trying to create something that gives students the feeling of a personal tutoring session – as if I were sitting next to them. Electronic communication is the natural way things are done at the University of Iowa, so the CD-ROM tour, e-mail and our Web site will help new students learn about all the services available to them, as well as help them start using the technology.”

“Educators and students are using technology to turn classrooms, offices, libraries and even dorm rooms into interactive learning environments,” said Aleisa Spain, director of higher education marketing, Microsoft education customer unit. “The Innovators in Higher Education Challenge is one way Microsoft encourages college and university faculty and teaching assistants to use Microsoft software to develop innovative teaching tools and programs.”

As grand-prize winner, Boynton will receive a Compaq Presario ES laptop computer loaded with Microsoft Office 97 and FrontPage 97. Other winners include the following entrants:

Second prize – Frank D’Arrigo, State University of New York at Buffalo, earned an award for creating an online articulation resource using Microsoft Internet Information Server 3.0, Microsoft Windows NT Server and other tools to allow students to check agreements between the university and its 1,700 feeder schools, simplifying the process of transferring course credits between schools. D’Arrigo will receive Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 and interactive training from the Microsoft Online Institute.

Third prize – The Microsoft Visual Studio development system and related Microsoft Press® training materials will be awarded to three third-prize winners: Leo W. Anglin from Berry College, Mt. Berry, Ga., for the CHARTER School of Education, which will use Microsoft Internet Information Server and applications such as the PowerPoint® presentation graphics program, FrontPage, NetMeeting and NetShow to help new teachers use technology to enhance teaching, learning and assessment; Anthony Klejna from State University of New York College at Buffalo for a school-to-work program that electronically links two- and four-year colleges and professional engineering and architectural design firms using Microsoft Windows NT Server, FrontPage, Office and NetMeeting; and Jim Henry from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for his online interactive engineering laboratory experiments run on Microsoft Windows NT Server and NetShow.

“The applicants submitted truly brilliant ideas for using technology to create new programs and solutions for students on campus and in the classroom,” said Dennis Chung, student judge and computer science student from Bellevue Community College, Bellevue, Wash. “I personally liked the University of Iowa CD-ROM project; not only will the CD-ROM save faculty time, but it’s more interactive than an actual tour. Students are sometimes afraid to ask questions, but the
CD-ROM allows them to explore the campus and find answers at their own pace.”

A complete list of winners is available via a self-addressed, stamped envelope sent to the Innovators in Higher Education Challenge, Microsoft Corp., One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052.

Microsoft is committed to providing practical solutions to the complex challenges colleges and universities face in implementing and integrating technology – in the classroom, in administration and beyond the campus – and to preparing information technology professionals and students for success in the workplace and for lifelong learning.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for

personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Windows NT, FrontPage, NetShow, NetMeeting, Visual Studio, Microsoft Press and PowerPoint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and/or company names herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

Winners of the 1997 Microsoft Innovators in Higher Education Challenge

(in alphabetical order by state)

Auburn University, Auburn City, Ala. – Heidi M. Anderson-Harper

Fullerton College, Fullerton, Calif. – Dale Craig

University of New Haven, West Haven, Conn. – Ann Robertson

Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. – Roger Kessler

Berry College, Mt. Berry, Ga. – Leo W. Anglin *

University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa – Bob Boynton *

Sullivan College, Louisville, Ky. – Terry Kibiloski

Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, Mass. – Kathleen Schrock

Jones Junior College, Ellisville, Miss. – Jo Ann Mitchell

Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Mo. – Melissa Morris

Camden County College, Blackwood, N.J. – Ellen Freedman

State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. – Frank D’Arrigo * and Brian Corrigall

State University of New York College at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. – Anthony Klejna *